Hammer Museum John V. Tunney Pedestrian Bridge

2014–2015 | Los Angeles CA

Client Hammer Museum
Architect Michael Maltzan Architecture
Consulting Structural Engineer Guy Nordenson and Associates
Engineer of Record John A. Martin & Associates
Awards 2017 Los Angeles Business Council Architecture Design Award; 2015 SEAoSC Excellence in Structural Engineering Award; 2015 AIA California Council Merit Award; 2015 ENR California Best Project Merit Award

Designed in collaboration with Michael Maltzan Architecture, the new steel structure spans a length of 36ft across the open courtyard at the second floor, connecting museum gallery access from east to west. Where the bridge connects with the building’s preexisting structural bays it widens to a maximum of 29ft 6in and narrows to a minimum width of 10ft at its center. The bridge is composed of a structural concrete slab on a composite metal deck spanning between exposed steel beams with a seamless 3/16in perforated steel guardrail. Fourteen circular glass lights are cut into the bridge’s deck to provide light to the courtyard below.

The pattern of the bridge structural framing is aligned with the building columns and the curve of the bridge plan to form a horizontal truss. The bridge ends are held up off two new header beams that are bearing on the existing building columns and spandrel beams on sliding and fixed points to enable control of the distribution of seismic forces as well as vibrations. Pedestrian induced vibrations are also limited by the contributing stiffness of the perforated steel hand rail acting as a slender upturned beam.